Railway draft appliance.



c. w. COOPER.

RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. I918.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

2 S HEETSSHEEI 1- c. W9COOPER.

RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE. APPLICATI ON EILED J DNE 26. 1918 1,290,099. Patented Jan. 7, 1919:

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Elk/Cooper construction and in rangeinent oil the several parts of my 111- RATILVTAY DRAJE'T ALPPLQXFGEE,

Application filed June as, 191a To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. Coornn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Way Draft Appliances, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

ii is invention relates to certain improve ments in railway draft appliances andhas relation more particularly to a. coupling of the Janney type and it is an object of the invention to provide a coupling having novel and automatically locked together with means whereby the coupling may be conveniently released with the possibility of injury to the trainman substantially entirely eliminated.

.lIt is also an object of the invention to provide an appliance of this general character having novel and improved means whereby the knuckle may be readily opened.

Another object of the invention. is to provide an appliance of this general character having novel and improved means whereby the coupling may he released by a trainman on the topof a car or on the ground and wherein the necessity of the trainnian going between cars is unnecessary.

The invention consists in the details of the combination and arproved railway draft appliance whereby cer tain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, less expensive and. otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will he hereinafter more fully set forth. v ihe novel features of my invention will hereinafter he definitely claimed.

lln order that my invention army he the better undcrstoml, i will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the coinpanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary View partly in side elevation and partly in section illustrating a railway draft appliance constructed in accordance with an enihodiment'of my invention.

Fig. 2 IS a view 111 front elevation 01" my herein embodied. is a fragmentary VIEW partly in section and pertiy in top plan improved appliance as Specification of Letters Patent.

.nnproved means whereby the same is li atented Jan. Tl, Serial No. arises.

of my improved appliance as herein dis closed.

I Fig, 4 is a. fragmentary sectional View illustrating a connection between the swing-- ing' block and cross bar as herein embodied, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partl; in side elevation and partly in section illus trating a railway draft appliance construeted in accordance with a. further embodiment of my invention.

As disclosed in F l to l- 3 denotes a car body including a front sill S pine a draw head D. Opcratively engagedwiih thenhody B is a. draw head D of a oarrouplil g a Well known Janney type and Uulilii l with the head l) in a well lwmvn:manner is a. knuckle K including ataithiere or provided in its free end portion with a notch or recess 1 to receive a vertically sliding latch or pin L.

As herein disclosed the latch or pin L enters within the draw head B through a suitable opening or slot 2-in the top thereof and the upper end portion of the latch pin L is provided with. a head The head 3 has an upstanding ear 4: extending Within a recess 5 formed in the under surface of a,

block 6 and the ear is pivotally enga ed with the block (5 through the medium of too pin 7 extending transversely of hloclz and through the ear The rearportion of the block (5 in the un der face thereof is provided. with a second recess 8 in which extends an ear 9 carried by the member 10 and which member 3.0 is suitably anchored to the rear 1.. ion of the draw head ll Disposed transversely of the portion of the block 6 is a pin 7" which is also directed through the ear 9 whereby the block ('3 is mounted for swing ing movement in a vertical plane.

The rear face of the block 6 is with an outstanding finger or arm l1 extending within the opening 12 in an end portion of the cross bar ll. The cross liar 1 iis can ried by and extends laterally from a vertically movable bar to slidably supported by the sill S and an outstanding platform 16 arranged adjacent the top of the body ll. The portion of the finger or arm 11 Within the opening 12 is provided With a longi tudinallydirected and vertically disposed slot 17 through which dir i'zted a pin 18 provided -arried by the adjacent end portion of the arm 1%. By this arrangement it will be perceived that upon downward movement being imparted to the bar, the outer end of the block (3 will be elevated and the latch or pin L raised to a position to release the same from the tail a of the knuckle K. The latch or pin L is adapted to drop by gravity and in order to facilitate this action the outer end portion of the block 6 is provided with a weight it) herein disclosed as plate and which weight 1!) overbalances the weight 01 the bar 15 and the cross or lt carried there by. The upper end portion of the bar 1-5 is provided with the hand grasp 20 so that a trainman may readily impart downward endwise movement thereto when said trainman is upon the top or platform 16 of the car.

Pivotally engaged at substantially midway its length with the end of the body B and in close proximity to the sill S is a lever 21. The inner end portion of the lever is bifurcated and straddles the bar 15 and is pivotally engaged therewith through the medium of the substantially horizontally disposed pin The opposite end portion of the lever 21 extends to a side of the body B and is provided with the handhold 23 whereby the lever 21 may be conveniently lockedby a trainman when on the groupd. It will be self-evident that upon swinging the outer end. of the lever :21 upwardly the bar 15 will be ,moved downwardly and thereby resulting in the desired raising of the latch or pin L.

A side wall of the draw head D is provided with an opening 2% through which extends a laterally directed arm 25 carried by the tail portion a, of the knuckle K. In pivotal engagement with the outer end portion of the l rm 25 is the foot portion 1) of a substantially L-shaped link '26. The stem 0 oi the link 26 is pivotally engaged with the inner end portion oi the cross head 27 carried by the lower end portion of the vertically disposed rod 28 supported for rotary movement by the sill and the platform 16. The outer end portion of the head 27 is provided with the hand grasp 29 to aitord means for manually operating the rod 28 so that upon rotation of the rod 28 in'one direction the arms 25 will be moved inwardly oi the draw head D and the knuckle K opened.

The cross head 27 is operated by a trainman upon the ground, Should the trainman be on the top of the war on the body B or on the platform 16, it is only necessary that the desired rotation be imparted to the rod and preferably through the medium of the hand wheel 30 fixed to the upper end portion thereof.

In the embodiment of my invention as particularly-disclosed in Fig. 5 the latch or a anemone pin L enters within the draw head D from below and the lower end portion of the latch or pin L is pivotally engagedwith the block 6 which is also supported for swinging movement by the member 10'. The inner or rear end portion of the block (3 is also pivotally engaged with a cross bar 14. carried by the lower end portion of a bar 15 supported for endwisc movement by the sill S and the platform 16. It will be understood that by imparting upward movement to the bar 15 the latch. or pin L will be caused to move downwardly to be disengaged from the tail a of the knuckle K. Co-acting with the bar 15 is a lever 21. for the same purpose as has been set forth. relative to the lever 21.

The mechanism for opening the knuckle in this second embodiment of my invention is the same as has been fully set forth in connection with the embodiment of my invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a railway draft appliance constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed.

ll claimi l. in combination with a draw head and a knuckle of a car coupling, a sliding latch engageable with the knuckle for holding the knuckle against movement, a member extending from the draw head, a block pivotally engaged at one end with the outer end portion ot the latch, and pivotally engaged adjacent its opposite endwith the member,

the second end portion of the block being provided with an outwardly directed linger, a bar supported for endwise movement, a cross bar extending laterally from said first named bar and provided with an opening in an end portion, the finger ot the block extending within said opening and pivotally engaged to the cross bar.

2. in combination with adraw head and a knuckle oi? a car coupling, a sliding latch engageable with the knuckle for holding the knuckle against movement, a member extending from the draw head, a block pivotally engaged at one end with the outer end portion of the latch, and pivotally engaged adjacent its opposite end with the member, the second end portion of the block being provided with an outwardly directed linger meopee i a bar supported for endwise movement, a being also directed through the slot in the crose bar extending laterally from said first finger. 10 named bar and provided W' h an opening In testimony whereof I hereunto affix mv in the end portion, the portion of the finger signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

Within the opening in the cross bar being CHARLES W. COOPER provided with a longitudinally disposed Witnesses: slot, and a pin carried by the cross bar and TH0MAS M. BOYD,

intersecting the opening thereof, said pin CAREY W. WHITE. 

